A Tribute to the Fallen
by Sheyrena Wyrsabane
Summary: Bucky fell and Loki let go, but both Steve and Thor were there when they lost someone they loved, and they blame themselves. Bonding and then healing as they honor their friends. Steve/Thor friendship. Angst, pranks, and trying to swing dance.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Rated T for the second chapter because there are sexual references, and I wanted to be safe. Again, I love Steve and Thor. I watched the movie, and there is so much potential for friendship and bonding that all I've wanted to do is write about it.

Steve's walls were bare, and the top of his dresser was clear except for a comb and a jar of hair gel. There were no personal mementos, no posters, nothing that could identify this room as his. He knew that Tony's walls were covered in barely clothed women and sleek cars, that Bruce had a periodic table taking up an entire wall, and even Natasha had a few pictures of knives she was saving up to buy.

Steve had thought about putting up a poster of Rita Hayworth, but the black and white picture with the soft lighting was out of place in Stark Tower, and it only brought up memories that he was trying to forget.

He knew that his fellow Avengers, and Fury especially wanted him to move on. He had to put his past behind him, but it wasn't as easy as they thought. Sure, seventy years had passed, but he had been unconscious for them. He remembered Peggy's smile, Colonel Phillip's barking, and Dr. Erskine's complete faith in him like he had only seen them weeks ago instead of decades ago.

And then there was Bucky. Steve still had nightmares where he was transported back to the train, reaching his hand out, straining to touch Bucky's fingers. He just had to get a little bit closer, he was almost there, and then Bucky fell, his body tumbling down the mountain. Steve should've been faster. He should've reached Bucky sooner. He should've been able to save him.

Last week, feeling nostalgic, he'd had JARVIS pull up Sidney Bechet's "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None of this Jelly Roll". It had been Steve and Bucky's favorite song, mostly because the word jelly roll was in the title. It was the first song Steve had learned to dance to as Bucky painstakingly taught him lindy hop. Steve hadn't been quick enough or coordinated enough to ever be a good swing dancer, but he tried, and Bucky was always patient.

When the chorus started up, Steve had begun to cry, and he made JARVIS turn it off and promise never to honor Steve's music choices again.

He was misty eyed now, just thinking about it, and he wiped at his eyes, angry with himself. He had promised himself that he was going to start moving on. That meant no lingering on the past, and no getting sentimental over music.

"You are melancholy," Thor said, and Steve looked up to see the god standing in his doorway. When had he gotten there? And didn't he have better things to do then creep around the Avengers' suites? Not that creeping was really a good word to describe the way Thor moved. Steve was surprised he hadn't heard Thor coming down the hall; his footsteps were impossible to miss.

Steve didn't like being caught crying, especially by a fellow teammate. He was supposed to be strong, and he was told growing up that men didn't cry in front of each other. If you ever got caught crying either you got made fun of or, if it were your family or friends who saw, they would pretend they didn't see anything. The only time Steve had allowed himself to cry in front of others was at Bucky's funeral, and it was only a few tears. He saved the body wracking sobs for when he was alone.

"It will pass," Steve said, turning his head so he could wipe away the last of his tears.

"Might I be of assistance?" Thor asked, coming further into the room.

Apparently on Asgard men had no problem crying in front of each other. Steve moved into the center of his bed to get away from Thor, but Thor took it as an invitation and sat down on the corner, the mattress sinking with his weight.

"It's fine," Steve said, wondering how to politely kick a deity out of your room. "I was just thinking. I'm trying to stop."

"Thoughts are persistent when your brain knows you must deal with them," Thor said. "You must confront them."

"It doesn't do anything to think about things I can't change," Steve said. "I need to acknowledge that and move on."

"Ah," Thor said, sliding back so he was resting against Steve's headboard, looking more at home than he ought to in Steve's bed. "The past is bothering you. Perhaps you are not ready to move on then."

"I need to," Steve said. "Fury needs me operating at 100%, and I need to stop crying about people that are long dead."

The words rushed out, too quick for Steve to realize he was saying, and he turned his face away as soon as he realized what he'd said. He'd just admitted that he cried when he was alone. Thor was going to think he was a wuss now. Steve hoped he didn't mention it to Tony, because the man would never let him live it down.

"There is no shame in mourning," Thor said, his voice softer than usual, the echoing boom gone from his words. Steve wondered who Thor was thinking of, but he didn't have time to ask. "Who is it that you mourn the most?"

Steve hesitated, knowing that this was the point of no return. He could still throw Thor out of his room, well not throw exactly, but ask him to leave. Once he started talking, once he fully divulged his feelings, he was committed. Steve didn't talk about his feelings with anyone. As far as Colonel Phillips had been concerned, Steve had no feelings. The only person he'd been vulnerable around, had shown his doubts to, was Dr. Erskine, but he had confided in him as the wimpy kid that spent his days getting beat up in Brooklyn. Captain America was supposed to be strong.

Steve shut his eyes as once again he found himself lingering on the people of his past. Maybe Thor was right. Maybe he had to talk it out before he could move on. He wasn't sure who he missed the most though. Peggy instantly popped into his head, the dance he'd promised her, the tears in her voice during their last talk when they both knew he was going to die. Her face gave way to a more masculine one, the tears in her eyes giving way to resignation a moment before his grip slipped.

"His name was Bucky," Steve said, his voice trembling at his friend's name. "We were friends before the serum. He helped me out when I got into fights and took me on double dates even though I was miserable with the dames."

Steve laughed, remembering Bucky's last night before he joined the army. How Steve had ditched Bucky and the girls to try, yet again, to join the army. "I saved his life after I became Captain America. Saved it, only to lose it."

Steve risked a look at Thor, trying to gauge what the other was thinking. If there had been pity there, Steve would've left the room, but there was something much gentler there, softening the god's eyes. Understanding.

"I," Steve paused and swallowed. "We went on a mission. He got shot out of a train and was dangling over the valley, barely holding on. I tried to reach him, but I wasn't in time. I watched him fall. I watched his body tumble down the mountain. I failed him."

Steve dropped his gaze to the down comforter, a luxury he didn't deserve. He should be sleeping on the hard ground or at least a lumpy mattress in a military barracks. Instead, he was in the lush Stark Tower, because he was a superhero tasked with saving the world, but what did it matter if he saved the world and lost the people that mattered to him?

A moment later, Thor's warm hand covered his, drawing Steve's eyes back up. There were tears suspended in Thor's eyes, waiting for the right word before they fell.

"After I returned home from my banishment to Midgard, Loki and I fought," Thor said. "We both felt from the bridge. My father caught me, and I caught Loki. We were going to be fine, but then." Thor shut his eyes, the first tear squeezing out, and Steve felt his heart constrict. "then Loki let go, and he fell into space."

"That wasn't your fault," Steve said, turning his hand palm up, so he could curl his fingers around Thor's hand. "You caught him, and he chose to let go." Steve handed been able to reach Bucky, too afraid that the door would fall off sending them both to their deaths. Maybe it he hadn't been so cautious, he could've saved Bucky.

"He let go because he couldn't handle being in my debt. I was not the best brother to him. If my behavior had been different, perhaps he would not have thought letting go was the only answer."

Thor tried to pull his hand back, but Steve's fingers tightened their hold. "You miss him."

Thor laughed. "He stole my throne, tried to kill me, and tried to conquer this world that I have come to love, but I miss him. He is my brother."

Steve slowly moved closer so he could hug Thor. Hugging other men wasn't acceptable when he was growing up either, but as long as he was breaking one rule, he might as well break them all. Thor's embrace was tight, almost painful, as if holding Steve would also allow him to hold himself together. Steve's grip was no different.

"I feel a deep sadness constantly," Thor admitted as they pulled apart. "It is why I choose to spend my time here, rather than Asgard. I cannot sit at my father's side, knowing that Loki is being punished somewhere beneath us or that I am not permitted to visit him."

Steve knew what it was like to be haunted by memories, to try everything to escape them and fail. In the beginning, he used to work out until he was so exhausted his body collapsed on his bed, but it only worked for so long. He could tire out his muscles, but his mind would still spin, bringing up memories that Steve was desperately trying to suppress.

"We should do something," Steve said. It wasn't good for two of the five Avengers to be emotionally crippled, and a mentally unstable thunder god was a frightening prospect.

"What do you suggest?"

Steve back to sit next to Thor and lean his head back on the wall. "What did you and Loki like to do together?"

Thor frowned, wondering how this was relevant. "When we were younger, Loki would talk me into doing things we were forbidden to do, then spirit away right before we were caught, so that I was always the one caught spying on the women's bathing house or playing with father's spear."

Steve grinned. "Figured it would be getting into mischief. I propose we honor your brother by causing some mischief of our own, though I don't recommend spying on Natasha while she showers."

"Mischief?" Thor asked, but he didn't look like he was going to say no. "What kind?"

"I know we're not geniuses like some of our teammates, but I'm sure we'll think of something," Steve said.

Thor smiled and for the second time, reached his hand out to touch Steve, though it was on the shoulder this time. "Thank you. You are a good companion."

"I wouldn't thank me just yet," Steve said, but there was a pleased smile tugging at his lips.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Complete 180 from the last chapter. This is more crack than anything, because angst isn't my favorite, and everyone could use a good laugh.

Operation Tribute began the next day. Thor and Steve were working with JARVIS to keep their secret and to see the results of their handiwork. The computer, once they confided to it what they were going to do to Tony and the purpose of their project, was more than happy to go along with them.

Thor and Steve were back in Steve's room, huddled around a screen that showed them Bruce's room. The man had just come back from a panel at Cornell where he spoke about the benefits of biomechanical engineering, and he loosened his tie as he came into his room.

Tony had insisted that he wear a full suit rather than the tweed jacket with elbow pads that Bruce had wanted to wear, and he was eager to get out of the stuffy, restricting outfit. He tried to open his closet door, but the handle wouldn't budge. He frowned and tugged again. No result.

Thor and Steve looked at each other, Thor's eyes sparkling with boyish excitement as Bruce started rattling the handle, growing more and more frustrated by the moment. Finally, he growled and ripped the door off its hinges.

The door fell to the side and hundreds of stress balls poured out of the closet and onto Bruce, bouncing harmlessly off his forehead and chest. Bruce picked one up and squeezed it, glaring at it before tossing it against the wall.

"Tony Stark!" he shouted. "You're going to pay for this!"

"He doesn't seem very de-stressed," Thor said as Bruce began throwing the white foam balls in every direction.

Steve grinned. "And he thinks it's Tony's fault. I would feel bad except Tony made another Captain Underpants joke yesterday."

"Ready for part two?" Thor asked.

Steve and Thor didn't spy on Clint to make sure that their prank worked, because it involved his shower, and they didn't want to violate his privacy by watching him while he was naked. Instead, they waited in the living room, pretending to watch TV and were rewarded ten minutes later by an enraged shout.

"Tony Stark! I will kill you, Director Fury's orders be damned!"

Clint stormed into the living room, a towel wrapped tightly around his waist, and Natasha, who had poked her head in to see what the commotion was all about, started laughing immediately. Clint's skin was tinged blue, thanks to the kool-aid that had been dumped on him while he was showering.

Steve and Thor exchanged covert high-fives as Bruce and Tony rushed in to see what was going on.

Tony skidded to a halt and tried not to laugh as he took in Clint's appearance, but he wasn't successful, and Clint glared at him.

"I will slowly dismember you," Clint promised.

"It wasn't me," Tony said. "I swear. You can even ask JARVIS." He didn't seem too upset with the fact that his life had just been threatened. Twice. He leaned against the wall and smirked. "Guess this gives a whole new meaning to having blue balls."

He doubled over laughing, and Bruce had to jump in front of him to keep Clint from hitting him.

"It wasn't Tony," Bruce said, wrapping his arms around Clint, keeping him from accidently hitting Bruce. "Something happened to me too, but it wasn't him."

"How do you know?" Clint demanded, his muscles bulging as he strained against Bruce's grip.

Bruce looked back at Tony, and the man stopped laughing long enough to take off his shirt, revealing a distinct ring of finger shaped bruises around his shoulders.

"I was already thoroughly interrogated," Tony said, slipping his shirt back on. The corners of his lips were still twitching, though, and he decided it was probably a good idea to laugh at Clint at least out of earshot of the man.

Natasha was next, and she was the one that Steve and Thor were most worried about. Surely she would notice if someone tinkered with her knives, and if she found out it was them then she would probably kill them. They waited until everyone was out of the house, and they wore rubber gloves to hide their fingerprints as they switched out her sparring knives for prop knives, the ones where the tip disappeared into the knife on contact.

They waited until they had thrown the gloves away at a trashcan at a McDonald's three blocks away before exchanging a fist bump. Tony had explained to them last week that that was how people congratulated each other in the 21st century. The first time they had fist bumped, they had nearly broken each other's hands, but they were getting the hang of it now.

The four male Avengers were sitting around the kitchen table, everyone drinking a beer but Steve when Natasha slipped in, a pleasant smile on her face.

"Have a good workout?" Clint asked.

She gave a delicate shrug as she wound her way towards Tony. "You could say that." She pulled Tony's chair out and slid onto his lap, straddling him. His eyebrows went straight up, clearly not expecting this.

"You're a bastard," she said, raising her knife and bringing it down on his shoulder.

He jerked back in response and threw her off his lap. "What the hell, Natasha," he said before realizing that he wasn't bleeding. He frowned and touched his shoulder. His t-shirt wasn't even ripped.

She held up her knife and pressed the tip in. "You were genuinely shocked. I guess that means you didn't switch out my knives."

Tony shook his head and ran his hand over his shoulder. "You're crazy, you know that?"

Natasha just grinned and sauntered out.

"This is going to be interesting," Steve whispered to Thor.

They were seated around the conference table, having been called to an unexpected meeting with Fury. All of the Avengers were there, even Tony, who was beginning to show the first signs of discomfort.

"It will be amusing," Thor said. "Loki would be proud."

There was only a shadow of grief that passed over Thor's face when he said his brother's name, and Steve gave a slight nod in Tony's direction to distract him. Tony's left hand slipped underneath the table, and the two conspirators shared a grin before turning their attention to Fury. They couldn't afford to give themselves away. Not when it was almost over.

Fury was droning on about something boring and bureaucratic, and Steve kept finding his gaze sliding over to Tony. He was leaning forward, resting on his right arm, trying to pretend that he was interested which was the first sign that something wasn't right with him.

The second was the slight movement in his left shoulder, and it didn't take Fury long to pick up on it.

"Stark, what the hell do you think you're doing? I'm trying to conduct a meeting. Hands on the table."

Clint snickered, clearly feeling that this was appropriate recompense for the fact that his skin had just returned to normal. Natasha hid her smile behind her hand, but no one was feeling particularly bad for Tony. Except Tony.

"As if your pretentious voice would ever turn me on," Tony said. "There's something wrong with my pants."

"Too tight?" Clint smirked.

Tony flipped him off. "They're unbelievably itchy."

"That's what happens when you buy them from a store instead of getting them custom made," Bruce said, grinning and dodging the pen Tony hurled at him.

"That is enough!" Fury ordered, and they all settled back into their seats except for Tony who was now wriggling in his seat, unable to sit still. "Are you serious? Go get whatever you've caught taken care of and come back here. We're not finished."

Tony didn't need to be told twice, sprinting out of the room without a snide comment. Steve and Thor had a covert fist bump underneath the table. They had come up with the idea of itching powder, but it was JARVIS who told them which pair of briefs were Tony's favorite. Steve wondered what kind of gift you got for a computer.

"What the hell?" Tony shouted.

Steve and Thor raced to the kitchen, Steve making sure to edge him out so he could see Thor's face when he saw it.

Standing in the middle of their kitchen was a cardboard cutout of Thor, but JARVIS had helped Steve photoshop a pair of gold MC Hammer parachute pants onto him. In one hand Thor was holding his hammer, in the other he was holding a STOP sign, more photoshop help, that read 'it's hammer time' beneath the white letters.

Thor didn't stand around to listen to the others laugh at him. Instead, he strode off, presumably to pout. Steve made a half-hearted excuse and ran after him, the grin never leaving his face.

"What is the meaning of this?" Thor demanded as soon as they were in Steve's room. "I thought you were my partner in crime."

"I am," Steve said. "But they're not stupid. If everyone got pranked but us, they'd know who was responsible."

"Oh," Thor said, calming down considerably and Steve allowed himself to relax. "I understand, though those pants were hideous."

Steve shrugged. "It's some joke I don't get. JARVIS said the others would think it was funny."

The laughter carried through from the other room proving that, once again, JARVIS was right.

Steve hadn't realized how Thor would've taken his explanation for the prank or he would've offered up a different one. It wasn't until he'd carefully combed his hair into place that he realized Thor had been up to some mischief of his own.

He was getting heading toward his door when he smelled something floral like the perfume that girls insisted on wearing. He wrinkled his nose and wondered where it could possibly be coming from. He didn't keep flowers in his room, and he certainly didn't wear perfume.

He sniffed his hands and looked over at his dresser, dread beginning to knot up his stomach. Thor hadn't. Steve sprinted over to his hair gel and opened it up, a curse on the tip of his tongue when the overwhelming scent of flowers made him gag.

"I didn't want you to get blamed," Thor said from Steve's doorway, a completely unrepentant grin on his face.

"Flowers?" Steve asked. "Really?"

Thor's grin widened. "Come, we must show the others that you have been wronged or all of this will have been for nothing."

Steve wanted to punch him because he knew Tony was going to call him Captain Buttercup or something equally ridiculous for the next week at least, but Thor was smiling, looking genuinely happy, and hadn't that been the point of all this?


	3. Chapter 3

After the success of the first phase of Operation Tribute, Thor was eager to get started on phase two. Steve was less enthusiastic, unwilling to dredge up the memories of his past and afraid to put them behind him. Thor respected his reluctance at first but quickly grew tired of it which was why he was sitting in Steve's room, waiting for him to return from the gym.

Steve trudged up to his room, having managed to distract himself for a solid five minutes before Pepper had interrupted his workout, insisting that he came upstairs and ate something, because, according to JARVIS, Steve hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch.

Steve ate a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs under the watchful eye of Pepper and the computer before returning to his room. He wished JARVIS had sent anyone but Pepper. He would've told them to leave him alone and continue with his workout, but he couldn't be rude to a woman. JARVIS probably knew that, sneaky intrusive computer.

"JARVIS is no longer our friend," Steve said, not even pausing when he spotted Thor on his bed. The two of the had been spending more and more time together recently, and he was actually more surprised that Thor hadn't come down to the gym with him than the sight of Thor in his room.

"You're going to hurt his feelings," Thor said.

"Computers don't have feelings," Steve said, taking his shirt off and tossing it into his hamper. "I'm going to shower."

It was a hint for Thor to leave, but the god didn't budge.

"I don't recommend that course of action," JARVIS said, his voice cheerful as it filled Steve's room. "Given recent comments, you'll find that any shower you try to use will only have cold water."

Was he being scolded by a computer? Steve sighed, his hands pausing on the button of his pants. He'd taken cold showers before, and it wasn't like he was going to be taking a long shower. Maybe the cold would even distract him.

"JARVIS, please don't allow any shower Steve touches to turn on," Thor said, and Steve stared at him, shocked.

"Since when do you know how to work JARVIS?" Steve asked, wondering if perhaps it had been Thor behind Pepper appearing at his workout. "And since when did you decide to sabotage my workouts?"

"Six hours is not a workout," Thor said, unconcerned that Steve was angry. "You act like I don't know why you go down there for such an extended period of time. Besides, we made a promise, and you have failed to hold up your end.

Steve wished there was somewhere he could run to, because he didn't want to have this conversation, but there was nowhere for him to go. Pepper wouldn't let him back near the gym, JARVIS wouldn't let him take a shower, and he doubted that Thor would leave his room. Steve didn't like feeling trapped, and he didn't like being pressured into things he wasn't ready for.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time when he suggested that they do things that reminded them of the people that they lost in order to honor them and to reappropriate the activity. Now that it was his turn, he was starting to rethink that decision. Dancing had been something that he and Bucky did, something that he had wanted to do with Peggy. It had been his parting promise to her. He wasn't ready to put that behind him. Thor would understand, right?

Steve looked over at Thor who was watching Steve with his arm crossed, preparing for a fight like he knew what was going on inside Steve's head. He was looking decidedly stubborn, and that didn't bode well for Steve's change of heart.

"JARVIS, it's time," Thor said.

The familiar sound of jazz music came through the room, and some of the tension in Steve's body immediately eased. He had missed music like this, the playful slide of the notes, the way his body wanted to start moving just at the sound of saxophones.

Steve was distracted as Thor began to dance, his legs kicking awkwardly, his arms flailing about, and Steve couldn't help his laugh as the Norse god of thunder tried to swing dance. The movements were too quick and Thor got his foot caught in the bed skirt and fell to the floor with a large crash.

He looked miffed as he got to his feet, because he wasn't used to failure, but then he saw the large smile on Steve's face, and he matched it with one of his own.

"I have been trying to learn on my own, but I am not succeeding."

"It's a fast dance," Steve said. "I never really got it when I was younger. JARVIS, pull up an instructional video, please."

"It would be my pleasure."

A video appeared before them, and they watched it through twice before slowing it down and trying it themselves. Thor screwed up his face in concentration and stuck his butt out, trying to mimic the dancer on screen, but he ended up throwing off his balance and landing on his face.

Steve tried to cover up his laugh with his hand, and when he wasn't successful, he offered the pouting Thor a hand up.

"This is a difficult task you have selected for us," Thor said.

"Imagine what it was like for me growing up," Steve said. "This was the only way to pick up dames, and I was abysmal."

"This was a courting ritual?" Thor asked, confused.

Steve nodded, absentmindedly flipping through the videos, trying to find one that might be a little bit easier.

"You are courting me then?" Thor asked, and Steve spun to face him, his face turning bright red.

No, that wasn't what was happening. That was certainly not what was happening. They were friends, trying to help each other cope with recent traumatic events. Steve tried to say all of that, but nothing came out of his mouth.

"In that case, we should be looking at these," Thor said, pulling up a video of a couple doing the lindy hop.

Steve forgot about his embarrassment as they watched the video, awed at how fast they were moving and at how the man threw his partner around. Around his waist, over his back, through his legs, and he never once dropped her.

"Yeah," Steve said when the video finished. "We definitely should not be jumping forward to that stage."

"It is easy," Thor said. "I lift heavy things all the time."

Before Steve realized what was happening, Thor had tossed him into the air. He caught Steve, one hand on his shoulder, one hand on his stomach, and it was like a punch to the gut. Steve fell limp in Thor's arms, trying not to throw up.

"A little gentler next time?" Steve asked once he could speak again.

"Of course," Thor said, picking Steve up again. This time he tried to throw Steve around his back, and he mostly succeeded, except when he forgot to catch Steve and actually ended up dropping him on his head.

"Not really an improvement," Steve said as Thor helped him back to his feet.

"Perhaps we are not advanced enough for this," Thor agreed.

"Maybe we just weren't meant to dance," Steve said. Maybe he just hadn't found the right partner.

"Nonsense," Thor said. "I will play one of your songs, and we will dance regardless of skill. Perhaps I will even teach you how Asgardians dance. JARVIS? A song if you will."

A moment later saxophones came pouring through the room, and Steve became very still as he realized what song JARVIS had chosen. A few bars in, Ella Fitzgerald began to sing.

_I want to be happy_

_But I won't be happy_

_Till I make you happy, too_

_Life's really worth living_

_When we are mirth-giving_

_Why can't I give some to you?_

Steve looked over at Thor, who seemed to be oblivious to the lyrics, doing something that looked like a mix between a really poor attempt at the lindy hop and something more primal. He was slightly bent over, his fists beating his legs, then his chest, before he shook them at the sky. All this while he was trying to do lindy hop kicks.

It looked absolutely ridiculous, and Steve began to laugh until the sound shook his body, and he fell to his knees. He was still laughing as Thor looked over at him, torn between pouting again and laughing himself. Eventually, the latter won, and Thor's booming laugh echoed through the house.

Well, maybe they weren't made for dancing. At least they knew they were good at causing mischief.


End file.
